So many people like to use the “Swiss Army Knife” phrase, but with him it’s a real thing.
That’s the nickname a few buddies and I have for Matt Miller. He’s far and away the worst prognosticator of the big media types. He was aggressively obnoxious with his take that Derrick Henry was too big and slow and would be out of the league in 2 years. He died on that hill. And that’s just one of many. There’s a lot of hills littered with his corpse.
So I don’t take him very seriously. It makes sense that ESPN hired him, since they’re the home of Mel and McShay. He fits right in with them (Jordan Reid however knows his stuff).
Unicorn A and Unicorn B
Exactly what I read… i assumed WR’s with every pick.
So, two things. What is wrong with the TE position now and would you take a TE over a replacement at OG?
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Nah… Washingtons blocking is overrated. People just assume he is a great blocker because of his size. He is too stiff.
Evaluators seem to disagree with you. He’s looked like a damn fine inline blocker every time I’ve watched Georgia but I’m certainly no expert.
Have I mentioned it’s nice to have you back?
Every year there’s a shiny new , super sensationalized QB, or 3.
And, every 3-5 years one of them actually is sensational.
I watch all UGA games he does a good job blocking. He has pretty good hands as well, albeit small sample size.
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Thanks brother, it’s good to be back. And it’s great to be welcomed and appreciated.
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Would you say he is better, worse, or equal to Hock coming out for his blocking?
Better, it isn’t close in my mind, but that is based on Washington’s college performance and my recollection of TJ in Detroit as I didn’t follow him in college.
UGA and UM are the two teams I watch religiously.
These are probably the same evaluators who said Hock was a good blocker. These media types dont watch film, they watch highlights and read writeups from other media guys who do the same.
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He’s an elite blocker on the move. He sizes up little DBs remarkably well for his size and just utterly wipes them out. Linebackers too. Edge DL too if they drop into space.
I don’t think he’s an elite blocker inline, but he’s pretty good. In pass pro he’s great at identifying stunts and blitzes and coming off double-teams to pick them up. But he’s not gonna dominate most edge defenders at the point of attack whether he’s run or pass blocking, and sometimes he’s gonna get beat pretty bad. And that’s fine. He’s not a tackle and you’re not gonna ask him to do stuff like that very often.
It’s his movement skills that make him really exciting for us IMO. Ben will terrorize opposing defenses by getting him out into the defensive backfield in a myriad of unique ways. No he’s not the most nimble guy and doesn’t have the loosest hips compared to other TEs, but he’s a hundred times more athletic than most pulling OL.
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Me too. I’d be excited as heck to grab him late.
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My bar for calling a TE a great blocker is being a good inline blocker. Being able to block DBs is the bare minimum for a TE. He has some great ball skills but doesnt look nimble at all. Very stiff in his change of direction.
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McShay is all over the guy- a couple others too. But I’ve got questions. Maybe just a late bloomer. Have talked to Iowa fans and have not gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback like you’d expect from a top 20 pick. He’s got the measurables for sure, but why wasn’t he playing every down? Someone suggested Ferentz prefers to play upperclassmen who’ve paid their dues- that’s silly though. If Van Ness is a killer Maxx Crosby type DE, he’d be out there. Every D1 coach is playing his best guys. They want to win. So I’ll need to see more tape or someone will have to enlighten me. Preferable an Iowa fan or two who’ve watched all his games the past couple years.
He is a good inline blocker, I just don’t know that I’d call him a great one. And he’s improved year-over-year as well.
Very few TEs erase secondary defenders on the move like Washington does. And when I say secondary I’m not talking about strictly DBs, but the secondary line of defense. He’s an unparalleled chunk play creator in this class.
Just read back thru my posts on him, I’m not on board in the first and think we have better use of our picks in the 2nd.
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What happens if you don’t pay Commish……
and then somebody else takes Van Ness? 